The Amadeus Argument: Friend or Foe?

Opening night in Vienna at the Burgtheater, July 16, 1782. Actor Tom Hulce portrays Mozart in Amadeus conducting his breakout opera, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). This scene was actually filmed in Prague at the Estates Theater. This city and this particular theater are host to many happy moments in Mozart's life and musical history, including the premiere of Don Giovanni in October 1787, so this is something I adore about the film. I've attended two Mozart operas in this theater: Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro. Warner Brothers, 1984.

  
The Man. The Music. The Madness. The Murder. The Motion Picture...

There are two schools of thought when it comes to Amadeus. You're either appalled and offended or delighted and entertained by Milos Forman's film adaptation of Peter Shaffer's stage play. I've never met anyone without a passionate argument whereas the film is concerned. There's simply no in-between, unless you're in a state of metamorphosis from one side to the other, which is what happened in my case, as I've continued to grapple with establishing an identity between the scholarly and the accessible to advocate Mozart in the best manner and to the broadest possible audience.

When my 5th grade music class watched the film, Amadeus, it encouraged my curiosity and subsequent sleuthing which in time revealed my passion for the real man and artist. (My curiosity stemmed especially from those scenes of the film she skipped...what on Earth was going on?). I was completely swept away by the drama, theatricality, and above all, the music. Being 11 years old, I never could have guessed that a lifelong love affair had just begun. As a teen, I periodically rented Amadeus from my local video store as I began discovering Mozart's life and music (I think I paid enough in rental fees to cover the retail cost, but I eventually bought a copy myself!). The film came back into my life in a significant way when I attended graduate school in London. After making a short trip home for the holidays, it was one of the few items I managed to fit into my suitcase (suitcases, rather!) for the trans-Atlantic voyage back to the capital. Although I was studying Communications in Media, Arts and Design at the University of Westminster, the film encouraged me to simultaneously immerse myself into independent musicological study which was further supplemented by my travels to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague the following summer. Reaching this new threshold of understanding, the beaming bright Hollywood lights of Amadeus began to dim. It was slanderous. The truth was much more fascinating. I felt slightly betrayed. Just slightly.

Although I had always loved the film, being well aware of its fictional elements, my greater insight demanded that I begin to question its intention, its impact. I was temporarily disenchanted until I decided to take a closer, more objective look, and realized just how significant Amadeus really was, and still is, in its ability to bring audiences to Mozart on a larger scale. The ongoing sales, critical praise and interest in the film speaks to its success with current audiences. But more so than anything else, my own experience and my interaction with others revealed to me its true power and influence. The film served as an integral starting point for my conversations with others wanting to know more about Mozart, the REAL Mozart. They watched the film and then graduated to albums and biographies. Watching Amadeus wasn't an ending point for viewers. It was a starting point. I soon realized that its bad boy image was a facade. This was a work of real value. It was non-history advocating and encouraging history. And as I learned in my communications studies, any publicity, including "bad" publicity, can be beneficial.

Actor Tom Hulce expressing Mozart's frustration when introducing the idea of Beumarchais's play Le Mariage de Figaro as an Italian opera adaptation, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). The play had been banned by the Emperor due to its classicism and revolutionary implications. I love this scene because Mozart the progressive, the liberal, the true child of the Enlightenment, is on full display. He wanted real themes for a real audience in place of lofty fluff for indifferent listeners. His frustration in this scene is palpable. Mozart is an intelligent artist, at this time considered a servant, dealing with unintelligent people with undeserving power over his genius. Warner Brothers.

The kernels of truth hidden within its script prove very alluring to those wanting to sleuth and learn about the real history. For example, although the portrayal of Constanze Mozart is inaccurate and offensive, it does touch on her brilliant entrepreneurial savvy that she used to save her husband's music for posterity after his death. Salieri was clearly the most maligned character of them all. He had nothing to do with Mozart's death, although it was rumored that he admitted to murdering him during his hospitalization in a mental institution in his final years (Amadeus is accurate about his suicide attempt). The rumor of murder was circulated, reaching the general population as well as the greatest musical figures of the day, including Beethoven. It was no secret that Mozart and Salieri were professional rivals, but the idea of murder was far fetched and not believed by anyone close to Mozart. Salieri did what was necessary to keep his position at Court, which meant creating bias and favor for his music, but his actions were not as malicious as those in the film. Alexander Pushkin's drama "Mozart and Salieri" was written in 1830, only five years after Salieri's death, paving the way for the fantasy of Amadeus.

Much to my chagrin (and horror), I realized in retrospect that the new-found criticism, rather concern, that I had expressed about the film, echoed a constituency causing far greater harm to Mozart's music than Amadeus could ever imagine: elitists. Since Mozart's lifetime and beyond, the aristocratic concert society has considered the music to be an exclusive privilege and this has inevitably perpetuated an image deterring the average person (my master's thesis addressed this topic). And this is exactly why I author The Chronicles, to eradicate myths and stereotypes to make the music, accessible, relevant and exciting, for it is all of this and much more. It's paramount for people to understand that Mozart himself wanted his music to live amongst us all.

Despite which side of the argument you're on concerning the content of the film, we can all agree that the reception of Amadeus was certainly worthy of Mozart, as was its soundtrack, under the direction of one of the greatest Mozart interpreters of our time, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Amadeus was nominated for 53 awards and received 40, including eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture), four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, and a DGA Award. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked Amadeus 53rd on its 100 Years...100 Movies list. The soundtrack reached #56 on the Billboard charts, making it one of the most popular recordings of classical music. Ever. It was the best introduction to his music I could have ever received. I continue to adore its quality and sentimentality. I was fortunate enough to find it on vinyl a few years ago at a music emporium (See photo below). Pianist Ivan Moravec's performance of the 3rd movement from the Concerto in E flat K. 472 is truly immaculate. Listen.

The vinyl soundtrack of Amadeus that I was fortunate enough to find at a music emporium a few years ago. It was in very good condition with both records (four sides) for only $5! There's an inscription written on the inside from its former owner, which adds character: "Valentine gift to us. 2/14/85." Amadeus won eight Academy Awards the following month on March 25, 1985 (It was nominated for 53 awards and received 40!).

The director's cut of Amadeus in 35mm format. Three hours worth of film! Screening Amadeus was part of an event I organized which explored the history and fiction of Mozart through cinema and literature. It was held at the Athena Theater in the city where I was born, Athens, Ohio.

It felt wonderful and fulfilling to see the words "Amadeus" and "Mozart" on the marquee (this was the side marquee) of the Athena Theater in my hometown. Advocating Mozart via the platform of cinema as Marketing Manager for the theatrical release of In Search of Mozart is my crowning achievement to date.